HOT TOPIC: WEDDING WORRIES

Our experts solve your problems

READY, SET, PLAN!

We’re getting married in a few weeks, and we’ve left most of the planning until the last minute! I’m panicking about how to decorate our venue – do you have any suggestions?

Don’t panic, there’s a lot you can achieve in a short period of time. The quick win is to work with a supplier with a make-it-happen attitude who can provide the key pieces you need for your big day. Reliable suppliers will guide you through the process, offering ideas and solutions.

Have an idea of your must-haves and nice-to-haves and be considerate of your budget. You can work through the priority list with your supplier and quickly create a plan and have confidence that it’s all being taken care of.

Remember to ask your venue exactly what they will provide or what will be in place at the time of your wedding. For example, a December wedding will more than likely benefit from the venue being dressed in festive garlands and decorations. Will they provide the cake stand; do they have napkins in your colour theme? It’s always worth asking.

If you would like to bring a personal touch to the décor in terms of homemade items but are wondering where you will find the time, perhaps ask your friends and family to join in. Hold a favour-making party, this is a great way to quickly get a time-consuming task done while getting your guests in the wedding mood.

Claire Stevenson www.weddingdayhire.co.uk

Hop Into Spring

My wife-to-be and I want a customised service for our spring-themed wedding and are thinking of booking a celebrant. Do you have any ideas on how we can incorporate our theme and make the day personal?

Having a theme for a wedding can sound crazy to some as the wedding itself is the theme, yet having been in business for over a decade and planned my own wedding, trust me, a theme or baseline makes planning so much easier.

Spring is an excellent theme. The magic of a celebrant is that we get to celebrate your love through a bespoke script. We can talk about how the spring theme was a real inspiration, how this is a new chapter of your life, and we can tailor-make your choice of readings and music to reflect that exciting energy.

You could even rewind to Henry VII’s days when he had Morris dancers to awaken the spring energy with their bells and sticks – whatever takes your fancy!

Incorporating your theme to make the day more personal is precisely what having a celebrant-led ceremony is all about.

Helen Noble www.helen-noble.co.uk

Ocean Waves

Our wedding is near a beach, and we’d love to visit to get some wonderful photographs, but I’m worried about ruining my dress or it being too windy! Do you have any ideas of how we can achieve this?

If you’re getting married on or near a beach, then lucky you! You must take full advantage and get those all-important beach shots. Don’t worry about sand on your dress, it will brush off, and any wind or breeze will only add drama to the image.

You don’t have to touch the sand; you can do what you’re comfortable with. You can position yourself on the sidewalk or pier or even balance on some rocks. My only advice would be for the bride not to do this in heels. A nice pair of flats on the beach will make it all the more comfortable and enjoyable. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun in your photos.

Eray Kaya www.irockvisuals.com

Treasured Memories

I want to have a first dance with my dad, but he’s shy. How can we build his confidence before the big day?

Weddings are a wonderful way for friends and family to come together to celebrate the couple as well as their love. At First Dance Studios, we have helped more than 2,000 couples and wedding parties make their wedding dance something unique and personal.

This dance is a celebration of family and a moment to be really proud of. We’ve picked up some tips over the years and know some dads and daughters might be a little shy when stepping out onto the dancefloor. Our top tip is to practice, practice, practice. Your teacher will ensure that you both learn the steps, feel the music, listen out for musical cues, know how you can talk to each other verbally and with your hands, and so much more. All you need to do is spend the time listening and dancing over and over, and yes, practice does make the wedding day perfect. Start learning a choreographed routine about six to eight weeks before the wedding. This helps get the dance into your muscle and mind memory and make those dancing feet, dance!

As well as practicing the steps, you also need to work on performance. Your teacher will guide you through the dance together in terms of staging. At First Dance Studios, we work on visualising the venue where the dance will take place, what the lightning will be, where the band or DJ will be. All this so you have a mental reference as you practice so that it isn’t a surprise on the day. Always remember, the crowd will be with you, cheering you on so we encourage you to use that energy and go for it. They are watching with joy and love, so work with that and dance it out in style.

The most important thing is to have fun, it’s a party after all, and pick music that you both enjoy.

The team at First Dance Studios www.firstdancestudios.co.uk www.helen-noble.co.uk

07787 530720 helen@helen-noble.co.uk

@celebrantofsurrey

LET ME TAKE YOU FROM THE WORRY OF THE CEREMONY, TO THE WONDER!

You think you are sorted, but then you realise you are walking into a room for the first time having had no rehearsal, you haven’t met the registrar, and you don’t know where to stand or what you have to say! Your anxiety is having a field day and you feel sick at the thought. STOP! There is another way. CELEBRANT LED CEREMONY. Feel empowered and inspired that you will own your ceremony, and it will be, like you, one-of-a-kind. You can have total control over what I shall be saying

AND you can write what you want to say! I will GIVE you a rehearsal so you know what to do, when and where! I will guide you, steer you away from the failure of a bland forgettable ceremony, and I shall create a ceremony that stays with you and your guests forever - making your ceremony go from a worry to wonderful!

Call me or head to my website for a wedding that will last a life time. I’m so excited to meet you, let’s get creating and styling your ceremony - a wedding should be personalised; Lets go above and beyond and make it bespoke!

SPRING “23 to WINTER ‘26 dates available